9 minute read
A New Lease on Life?
At nearly two centuries old, the Vinton County landmark Hotel McArthur readies for change. Those in the area have mixed feelings.
Story by EMI BARON Photos by EMI BARON and BO KUHN
Prominently located in the heart of McArthur, on the corner of U.S. Route 50 and State Route 93, rests the village’s oldest surviving structure: Hotel McArthur.
“This is a really fascinating place. You walk in, and it wraps its arms around you. It’s hard to explain,” current tenant Beth Gilliland says.
Gilliland has worked in the establishment on and off since 1996, developing a strong affinity for the L-shaped building constructed in 1839 that predates the county. Vinton County was formed in 1850.
She has access to previous owner Kathryn Matteson’s handwritten notes on the hotel from a conversation with Paul “Hoagie” Hogan, the owner from the 1900s who made significant additions to the hotel, such as a hand-dug basement, in the 1960s.
On Dec. 17, 2021, the building was purchased by the Vinton County Convention and Visitors Bureau after over a year of negotiation initiated by Marketing Director Caleb Appleman. The city has plans to renovate the building back into a functioning hotel with a restaurant and gift shop as well as the visitors bureau headquarters in the lobby.
Hotel McArthur’s major renovations are projected to cost up to $2.5 million. The city officially closed in on the property March 31. The visitors bureau is looking to secure funding so the construction can begin as early as this summer.
Appleman says the vision is to blend elements from the 1800s with modern-day amenities, such as adding an ADAcompliant ramp for entering the building, while preserving as much of the original interior as possible.
As a lifetime Vinton County resident, Appleman extensively researched how to most accurately renovate the building to make it resemble what it looked like back in the late 1800s.
“There’s not a whole lot of photography from the 1800s of historic hotels, but I did what I could to fill in the gaps. The earliest photograph we have of Hotel McArthur went back to about 1914 and, at that point, it had already gone under many renovations,” Appleman says.
The building used to have a mansard roof, but it burned in the late 1800s. The renovation plans include rebuilding this roof along with historical lamp posts, horse-hitching
posts and a traditional wooden sign, with careful attention paid to the traditional font used to spell the hotel’s name.
Inside is the original grand staircase composed of four different woods: The banister is walnut and cherry, the steps hard oak and the side extending the length of the staircase poplar. The floors are original hardwood, with the exception of some areas covered with linoleum or carpet.
“The base structure [we think] was originally like a log cabin. Now, it has about four layers of bricks added around it and, at some point, a layer of stucco was added as well,” Appleman says.
Hotel McArthur has lived many lives, housing several businesses over the years, including barber shops, saloons and newspapers. But it currently houses Gilliland and others, who will be evicted as a result of the renovation project.
“I’ve cried over this. Cried, cried, cried. I was angry, then I was crying. I just went through it. It’s hard,” Gilliland says.
Gilliland’s relationship with Hotel McArthur is deeper than an appreciation for its architecture or history. In fact, she believes the current tenants and she share the space with previous inhabitants who have not quite finished checking out.
“There are spirits here. I can tell you firsthand about that. I talk to them myself,” Gilliland says.
Gilliland believes everyone currently living in the hotel, especially those who have been there a long time, would testify that paranormal entities dwell in the halls.
Back in 2013, a psychic came to the hotel to conduct a reading. He reported none of the presences are evil or bad, Gilliland says. The adoration for this building allegedly extends beyond life.
Pgs. 42-43 | The entrance to Hotel McArthur, a structure that dates back centuries and has served a multitude of purposes and businesses over the years. OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP | The downstairs hallway leading to the bathrooms. OPPOSITE PAGE, BOTTOM | The grand staircase banister is walnut and cherry, the steps hard oak and the side extending the length of the staircase poplar. ABOVE | A blue stool and a very happy Schefflera plant sit in front of a window. ABOVE RIGHT | View of an exit door within the building, just beyond assorted items readying transport. BELOW | More items from previous tenants await the next chapter.
“According to the psychic, the only thing they want to do is look after the hotel. They want to make sure it’s safe, I guess,” Gilliland says.
She has encountered ambient noises of cowboy boots with spurs rattling across the dining room, echoes of footsteps down the empty staircase, the indistinct hum of chattering voices, repetitive shutters of a vintage camera and the drags of shifting furniture on hardwood.
“I was with this really religious woman — her and her husband would come in here every day — and she goes, ‘Beth, did you hear that? Nobody came down those steps,’” Gilliland says.
Gilliland even reports that people, including herself, have seen figures fleeting through the hotel corridors.
“My son just saw a woman at the top of the stairs last night. There is a woman spirit here, and I believe that it is Mr. Hogan’s wife. The guy who lives by the stairs says, ‘Oh, that’s nothin’! I see that spirit all the time,’” Gilliland says.
But she says she’s not scared of the spirits she thinks she’s encountered. On the contrary, it is one of the only places she feels completely safe. “Once you come in here, you have a connection with it that makes you not want to leave,” Gilliland sighs.
She plans to relish her remaining time in the hotel, marking the start of a momentous transitional period, not only for the building but for Gilliland, as she moves on from her beloved home of over two decades.
The New
High school teacher and coach Norm Emmets taught for 44 years at Groveport Madison School District. Since retiring, he’s been active with Ohio University and Ohio Athletics, the alma mater of his son Rob.
Story by CLAIRE GEARY | Photo by CARRIE LEGG
At each home football and basketball game for the Bobcats, you can find Norm Emmets in the front row of the student section, leading the cheers and chants throughout the game. It’s a tradition that Danny Lowe (better known as D-Lo), Emmets’ son Rob’s best friend, started at OHIO. How did you start leading the O-Zone at Ohio?
When my son went to school here with D-Lo, there were hundreds upon hundreds of kids. And it was exciting. Over the last 15 years, there’s been ebbs and there’s been flows. The O-Zone used to be unbelievable; it used to be like Duke University. Before the chairs were there in front of the students, they could almost reach out and touch the players just like Duke. I said to myself, I don’t know how many years back, “Let’s try to get it going again.” So, I sat up on Court Street in a chair, just yelling at people, “Go to the game tonight!” The biggest thing is I continued D-Lo’s spirit. He had more spirit in him than you could ever imagine, and I take it every time I walk into this place. I always try to bring D-Lo’s spirit. Why did you take over D-Lo’s responsibilites?
Danny Lowe is the main student who founded the O-Zone. Not only that, but he was my son’s best friend here at OU. He was working on his graduate degree in sports administration, [and] unfortunately passed away in the middle of a scrimmage game against the OHIO assistant coaches one day. They played in the Convocation Center, and he collapsed in front of the O-Zone section. From what I understand, he started it [the O-Zone] back in 2000. He would be the first seat, first row to every basketball game at the Convo. Danny was the leader. And I said we got to keep it going. What kind of chants do you cheer on gameday?
One of the biggest cheers recently has been, “OU? Oh yeah!” It’s a great cheer here. You got to have it at a certain point. The Marching 110, even all through the years, has always picked up the cheering. Whether there are students here, no students; the 110 you can count on. There’s a guy that likes to do the scoreboard cheer at the end of each basketball game. When you get the crowd going, they say,
“Is that not the scoreboard? / Yes, that is the scoreboard!
Is that not an 88? / Yes, that is an 88!
Is that not a 77? / Yes, that is a 77!
Is that not the winning team?/ Yes, that is the winning team!
Is that not the losing team? / Yes, that is the losing team!
Winning team! / Losing team!
Winning team! / Losing team!” It’s a lot of fun, and it’s a great way to end the game. What has affected the fluctation of student attendance over the years?
You could say winning. But yet in football, we didn’t have a great winning season this year. We had a good season, but we had a losing record. That was the best crowd noise (Ohio v Syracuse) for many years. Now, in basketball, it’s been kind of up and down. I think it’s just the kids, because as I sit out here with these kids, the O-Zone here that’s really sold into what we’re trying to do, it’s just them when you get right down to it. If you could pinpoint one thing about Ohio sporting events, what would it be?
Oh, there’s a number of them. The ride down from Dublin with my wife every game allows me to think of the great games and the great students cheering in here over the last 22 years. I go back to the first ESPN, I think it was Sean McDonough on the call. We beat the University of Pittsburgh here at Peden Stadium and it was on ESPN. So going down, I think about all those things. But once I’m here, I got D-Lo inside of me.
